Pericardial Effusion After OHS for ASD Closure
Posting for insight and experiences from others. May 14th I had OHS to close a 16mm ASD. Recovery has been a breeze up until this past Sunday. I started feeling off then eventually my breathing was constricted & chest felt tight. About 3AM I went to the ER and was very close to being in tamponade, HR upon arrival was 208.
They got my vitals under control and let me know I had pericardial effusion. They tapped into my heart sac through my ribs, drained fluid and then left a drain in for about 24 hours. Today (Thursday) I feel back to normal and fine. My biggest concern is it happening again, I’m on meds to control inflammation.
Has anyone experienced this multiple times or is it commonly a one and done? No infection was found in the lab work & my care team believed this was a slow build up. Being awake and aware during the procedure was terrible, I can not fathom doing that again. Any insight or past experiences are appreciated.
30M